1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bracket for removably attaching an article to a wall, and, more particularly, to a bracket that is convertible between screw attachment to the wall and attachment by means of a suction cup.
2. Summary of the Background Art
Attachment brackets are widely used for holding an article, such as a hair dryer in an easily accessed position on a wall, with the bracket being attached to the wall by a number of screws. Other forms of attachment brackets include suction cups, providing for attachment without damaging the surface of the wall, and for relatively easy movement of the bracket from one wall surface to another. The use of a suction cup allows the bracket to be used in a rented building or even in a temporary dwelling, such as a hotel, to be subsequently removed without damage to the wall. Furthermore, a suction cup may be readily attached to surfaces, such as bathroom tiles, through which drilling holes for screw attachment is particularly difficult.
The patent literature includes a number of descriptions of devices using suction cups to hold articles to a wall. For example, a design patent, U.S. Pat. No. D527,616, describes an article holder having a suction cup, an outwardly extending plate for holding an article, and an actuating lever for deflecting the suction cup so that the article holder is attached to the wall or released therefrom. U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,432 describes a device for holding an article at an adjustable angle, with a suction cup attaching the device to a wall. U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,104 describes a device including a suction cup, and an actuating lever for engaging and releasing the suction cup with a wall, in which the actuating lever has coupling surfaces engaging one of several brackets used to hold articles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,649 describes a triangular plate using several suction cps to hold a satellite dish antenna to a flat surface, such as a window. An international patent application, WO 2006/076876 A1, describes a suction cup attachment device using an actuator operated by means of a screw thread to attach the device to a flat surface or to release the device therefrom, by turning the housing as a knob.
It is desirable to provide for screw attachment to a wall surface in addition to attachment by means of one or more suction cups. To this end, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,457 describes an article holder including three suction cups and one or more holes for attachment screws within the plate to which the suction cups are attached. However, what is needed is a device including a coupling holding a bracket that can be easily removed from the device and attached directly to a wall surface using attachment screws, so that the bracket can be used in this way without the bulky apparatus including the suction cup(s).